Plymouth Congregational Church of Fort Wayne, UCC
January 24, 2010
Third Sunday after Epiphany

Scripture Lesson:  Luke 4:12-21

 Many Gifts, One Spirit

"... there went out a fame of him
through all the region round about."
 (Luke 4:14, KJV)

Prelude

The bylaws of Plymouth Church

(that functional document that serves to

define the order and guide the governance

of our church)

state in Article 5, Section 2,

"There shall be an Annual Business Meeting in January

to adopt an annual budget, to receive reports from

all officers and elected Committees of the Church, and

to transact any other appropriate business."

It isn't often that church bylaws are mistaken

for inspirational reading material.  Yet this particular

section invited pause earlier this week, and caused

me to ponder what business is "appropriate" for the

transaction of our faith.  If there is appropriate business,

there exists also it's opposite, "inappropriate" business. 

So what "appropriate business" is worthy of our

consideration?

In my home there are occasions

when assessments are offered -

sometimes debate is waged -

as to what is appropriate and inappropriate.

Typically, such conversations often center upon  

behavior; or language; or dress -

and focus upon what may or may not fit a particular occasion.

Such conversations can be quite lively.

I'm not sure how the word "appropriate"

got into the church bylaws.  They could simply state:

"to transact any other business."  Wouldn't this work?

Was "any other business" deemed faithfully fuzzy,

a bit lacking in precision, requiring modification?

Possibly so, I'd guess. 

"Appropriate business" - the adjective that modifies the noun -

serves to protect the property that is rightly ours in the church

of Jesus Christ; it keeps us aligned with what we possess -

not the physical/material surroundings -

but the faith and grace and spirit

from which the physical springs.

It is appropriate that we make this distinction,

that we rightly define and understand our "properties;"

we people who possess faith and grace, spirit and truth;

and we possess clarity and conviction

which defines our purpose and mission.

The preamble to the bylaws makes clear

our purpose and mission; it is

"to proclaim the Christian gospel,

to advance the love of God and neighbor,

to embody the Way of Life as recorded in the Holy Scriptures,

and to promote Christian faith and practice

in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ." 

This is a tall, ambitious order.  It is our aim, our inspiration. 

So I find it appropriate, that we remind ourselves of this,

on the day designated for Annual Meeting.

We don't want to miss our aim.

When Paul speaks of "sin" in writing to the Romans,

the term he employs ("hamartia")

has the underlying meaning, 

"to miss the mark." 

In the church we take aim,

and we fire with the trigger of faith. 

We hope and pray,

we love and serve,

to hit the mark of our calling.

          *****                   *****                   *****                   *****

The year and record we close (2009),

was not an easy time for us. 

We endured a time of institutional contraction,

reducing program staff and support staff;

additionally, we closed the church office on Mondays.  

We found our budget was not fully sustainable

with what resources we anticipated,

and adjustments were made. 

I hope there is recognition that our budget is

as much of a faith document as much as business

rule or organizational tool. 

It reflects our resolve to minister,

to be engaged with benevolence,

and teaching; and mission that extends both

near and far; the budget reflects our commitment

to provide a facility that is safe, secure,

and of service both for groups from within our church,

and for groups who come from without.

I also hope there is recognition of all that is

not disclosed through the budget.

The love and devotion running in

the veins of this people is thick and resilient,

and it can't be fully recorded on an Excel spreadsheet.

There are hours logged that don't show up on

giving statements. 

There are cards sent, concerns expressed,

encouragements offered, prayers prayed,

that constitute the heart and soul, the

muscle mass within this body of believers.

There exists a lot of opportunity for people to be

involved, engaged, and to make a positive difference,

for good, for the preservation and the advancement of

our "property," which is fundamentally

faith, and hope, and love in Christ.

Yesterday, a group of volunteers were working in the

basement, rummaging, cleaning, bringing "up" to

the light of day what once went "down" into storage.

It was a strategic time to clean up a bit, appropriately

timed, to coincide with annual meeting.  I'm often

amazed at what can accumulate within the church.

One comes face to face with "once upon a time."

If you venture to the Folsom Room, you can see some

of the accumulations that are on display ... for the

taking, or for a donation.  It is part of the appropriate

business of the church to clean house, evaluate,

what is needed, what should be saved, what is worn

and tired, and having served it purpose, can be let go.

Annual meeting is a good time to engage in this

important work.  We are all invited to consider:

what do we really need to carry into our mission

and purpose? 

I need say, the year before us

is not a time for rest or content,

or retreat into a history suited for personal convenience;

it is a time for us to be radiant with

the faith that is ours, to roll up our sleeves,

to expect courage to come in proportion to

the struggle we embrace for justice and peace.

In recent days I engaged in a little research

on the life and thought of Washington Gladden,

a congregational preacher noted for his

social gospel advancement.  I'm intrigue by

Gladden, for he was much involved in gospel

proclamation during the Gilded Age,

when the disparities of wealth and cleavages of class

were so sharply defined.  I assess we are living in the midst

of a second gilded age in this country. 

The Supreme Court ruling issued Thursday of this week,

granting corporate entities rights and privileges of an individual,

overturned a ruling that restricted what influence a

corporation could pedal in a political campaign.

It dates back to the age when

corruption and competition,

the buying of favor,

the purchasing of influence for corporate gain,

left compassion and cooperation for public good

in the proverbial dust.

What Gladden said to the church

in that distant gilded age

has enduring relevance for our own.

"When no radiance streams out

through the windows of the church,

lighting up the spaces round about,

it is to be feared that the light

which is in it is darkness. 

And great is that darkness"  

(Washington Gladden, The Christian Pastor, p. 47).

"If the church wishes to save itself from extinction,

then it must send out its light and its truth to the community" 

(Gladden, p. 48).  This needs to be many times repeated,

over and over, for it is a teaching, according to Gladden,

"most easily misconceived and most constantly forgotten."

          *****                   *****                   *****

We don't want to misconceive of our mission;

we don't what to forget our purpose as a Christian church.

The gospel lesson from Luke this morning

is quite helpful in this regard (Luke 4:14).

Jesus is

(1) filled with the power of the Spirit;

(2) he returned from the wilderness to Galilee (significant, he did not go to Jerusalem);

(3) a report about him spread; the "word" was out, Luke is saying to us; the KJV:

"... there went out a fame of him through all the region round about."

(4) he hit the synagogue circuit, teaching, and "all ... sang his praises" (NEB).

Then he goes home to Nazareth, and gets to preach to

those who are simply thrilled with his success.

He chooses a text from Isaiah 61.

The spirit of the Lord is upon me,

anointed me, proclaim good news to the poor;

release to the captives ... recovery of sight to the blind;

let the captive go free; proclaim the year of God's favor.

All this, Jesus, said, has been fulfilled in your hearing.

It is the good news that we

proclaim, advance, embody, promote, and practice.

It is a blueprint of our business.

It is a summary of the light and truth,

 "light" we are called upon to send out to the community.

And within the community, there is no end

to the need for such good news.

          *****                   *****                   *****

The theme today:  many gifts, one spirit.

An anthem follows under that title;

and we close this morning with the hymn,

"God of Change and Glory." 

Many gifts, one spirit, one love known in many ways.

In our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise,

One Giver, one Word, one Spirit, one God,

known in many ways,

hallowing our days.

For the Giver, for the gifts, praise, praise, praise.

Praise, praise, praise.

Let us strive for this wonderful manifestation of grace and love.

Working together, always for good,

may we proclaim the time of favor.

As Jesus spelled out his mission,

as he was faithful to the

calling outlined by Isaiah, so we vow;

may we re-bind ourselves, come fresh and clean,

continuing the ancient Way in our day,

charted for our salvation.

This is our calling.

It is our mission and purpose.

It is delight.

May we prove worthy of such trust,

even as we embark upon a new year

of gospel adventure.